#ana lal din

[dvarapala]

does anyone have books/audiobook recs? because i want to buy new ones but i am stumped and dunno which ones to get.

[belovedviolence]

introduction post

hello writeblr and welcome to my blog! i'm honestly new to this side of tumblr but i would love some mutuals and friends <3

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about me

genres i write in: psychosexual horror, contemporary, gothic romance, romance, and sometimes (very rarely) fantasy themes i enjoy + write: religious guilt, codependency, grief, loneliness, love as violence, love as consumption, oranges as a symbol of love, the obsessed artist, coming of age, tragedy, right person wrong time/not enough time, power dynamics in relationships, obsessive + toxic romances (especially sapphic) and several others but these are my most beloved favourite books: the descent of the drowned by ana lal din, the wolf's den anthology by @therottengirl, little rabbit by alyssa songsiridej, hell followed with us by andrew joseph white, letters to a young poet by rainer maria rilke + so many more

i also love films! some of my favourites are phantom thread, stoker, us and them, dead ringers, and the piano teacher.

i'll also be ranting about my works in progress from time to time, and might make a separate, proper post about them.

quick links

wip i: little deaths intro | little deaths updates + musings | little deaths inspo | selene | wip ii inspo

taglist

@chargoeson (the first person in my taglist!! thank you for your support omg ♡)

[zacksfairest]

9, 17, 18, and 32 for book meme!

Bless you, Melody.

9. A book that was better than you expected it to be

Book of Night by Holly Black, but this was purely because of all of the Drama that was surrounding it because people can't read and were expecting The Cruel Prince Part 2, I guess.

17. Top five books of the year

Hmm... This one's tough. I'm sad because there are a few books I wish were making this list, but can't because other books FAR outranked them. 1. Kings' Rising by C.S. Pacat 2. Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber 3. The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din 4. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse 5. Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn

8. Least favourite books of the year

The Unseelie Prince by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. You Know Why.

32. Were there any books you planned on reading but didn’t end up reading/finishing?

Oh my God so so many. So many. But I lost steam toward the end of the year due to plans and the holidays and just General Unhappiness with the state of books right now. The big one is Dark Force Rising, the sequel to Heir to the Empire. It's taking me so long to motivate me to start it. Also Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future. I wanna see Ardyn :c

Also Sunshine by Robin McKinley, purely due to @editoress’ recommendation.

[soartfullydone]

5, 33, and 38 for the book asks!

bless you, cassie

5. The longest book you read this year

Morning Star by Pierce Brown at 524 hardcover pages. Honestly, shout out for this being a trilogy I actually started and finished this year. It's been so long since I've done that, and it was delightfully fucked up.

33. Did you DNF anything?

For once, yep! Silk Fire by Zabé Ellor because it was so heinous.

38. Releases you’re looking forward to next year

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

Dark Rise Book 2 by C.S. Pacat

The Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Blood on the Blade by Ana Lal Din

A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

Witch King by Martha Wells

Chaos and Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

The Eleventh Hour (The Adventure Zone) by the McElboys

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

[millennial-book-review]

The Descent of the Drowned

My review for The Descent of the Drowned is now live.

The Descent of the Drowned is a 2021 fantasy novel by Ana Lal Din. It’s the first novel in the series of the same name and was the author’s debut. It was released in March 2021 and published by White Tigress Press. She is bound to serve. He is meant to kill. Survival is their prison. Choice is their weapon. As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain…

[elephantinparis]

Roma and Leviathan || Descent of the Drowned

Names were for people who considered each other equals. She and the Firawn's son would never be equal.

[-outofcontext-]

The Descent of the Drowned #OutOfContext

[sagewraith]

It seemed death was a thief that came and went with such stealth none heard his footfalls.

The Descent of the Drowned, Ana Lal Din

[hiloedits]

— the descent of the drowned headers

like or reblog if you use/save.

© hiloedits on twitter.

[dvarapala]

eleven questions for the mun !

01.  alias or name: tessa. 02.  birthday: international star wars day. 03.  zodiac sign: taurus. 04.  height: 5′6″ (167 cm). 05.  hobbies: reading, writing, playing the piano, watching movies, watching tv shows, sleeping, reading up on world mythology, playing video games, listening to music, sleeping some more.  06.  favorite colour: blue. 07.  favorite book: i’ve quite liked lore by alexandra bracken, i am currently reading the neverland wars by audrey greathouse because i love retellings a lot, and i’m also reading the descent of the drowned by ana lal din, which is really good but please, please, please check out the tws beforehand! i also need to reread forest of souls and read broken web by lori m. lee. in regards to audiobooks: i have victoria aveyard’s realm breaker that i haven’t finished and probably won’t for a while; i am almost finished with iron widow by xiran jay zhao which i very much recommend. 08.  favorite food: italian food. also indian food. 09.  last film or show watched: death on the nile but it was so slow. so, so slow. i was left disappointed by the end. 10.  inspiration: music, books, mythology and lore, tales of my own family, pop culture. especially mythology and lore though, i’ll never shut up about it and about how everything connects if you go back far enough! 11.  story behind url: in indian lore, dvarapalas are huge dudes with maces, guarding temples. i wanted to take that concept for a spin, so i did. at first the url was weirdly enough unavailable so i had the url nirgama which also has doorway conotations. but then i got this one, and i haven’t looked back since. tagged by: the loveliest @celestiel ​ tagging: if ur reading this far and say i tagged u !! its the law!!!!!!

[dadalux]

Marcela Bolivar - Book cover art for author Ana Lal Din

[zacksfairest]

4, 10, 30, 39, 40?

THANK YOU, LIZ!!!!!! [smoocha you]

4. What was/will be the last book you read this year?

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber. This was over a month ago because October, November, and December were all busy, but at least I ended my reading with a bang.

10. A book that didn’t live up to your expectations

Definitely The Unseelie Prince by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. The excerpts and summary had sounded so promising, but in the end, it was just another terrible fae book with terribly boring love interests and boring main characters. Such is life.

30. Did you reread anything?

Nope. I have actually never re-read anything in my life??? There are just so many books out there that I feel like re-reading would be a waste of time when there are so many other new experiences to be had out there.

39. Five books you absolutely want to read next year?

Oh, boy, let's see 1. Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn (as well as the third book in the series. I am lumping them together) 2. Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future by Jun Eishima (translated by Stephen Kohler) 3. The Blood on the Blade by Ana Lal Din 4. A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber 5. Sunshine by Robin McKinley And an honorable mention to Final Fantasy VII: The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story as a re-read. Yeah, I know that I said that I never re-read books, but I might make an exception for this one. I need that sweet, sweet Kadaj content.

40. Do you have any reading goals for next year?

mmmm not particularly? Just read more than I did this year. Would love to break 50 books, and also read more books than comics. A big bulk of my reading was comics and manga this year.

[amandaklwrites]

July 2021 TBR (Part One)

Here we go again! I don't know why, but June has gone by so slow for me. But hey, next week is July already! We're almost halfway through 2021, which is crazy, isn't it?? So, I thought since I'm on here posting reviews, that I would post my (very hopeful) July TBR. I hope to get to all these books, but we'll see what happens. So, here we go, in no particular order, as per usual.

1. It Ends in Fire by Andrew Shvarts

2. The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din

3. Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews

4. These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

5. The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith

6. The Archive of the Forgotten by A. J. Hackwith

7. The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala

8. The Archer at Dawn by Swati Teerdhala

9. The Chariot at Dusk by Swati Teerdhala

10. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Here's part one of the books I want to read! Part 2 will be up in a minute after!

[mynthara]

🗺📚😊

🗺 what’s a book series you love that’s inspired by the culture/history of a specific country?

Ooooh!!! This is hard 😬 I don’t want to come across as ignorant because I truly don’t know if the series is inspired by a specific country. The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din would be my pick.

📚 what’s a series (4 or more main books) you always recommend because it’s awesome?

Throne of Glass. Naturally 😌👌 because it is superior.

😊 who’s your comfort character?

Morpheus from Splintered by A.G. Howard. He never fails to make me smile and puts me in a better mood whenever I reread the novella Untamed.

book asks

[richincolor]

There are five books out this week that have piqued our interest. Which ones do you have your eye on?

The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din White Tigress Press

As the sacred slave of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.

Leviathan is the bastard son of an immortal tyrant. Raised in a military city where everyone knows of his blood relation to the persecuted clans, Leviathan is considered casteless. Lowest of the low. Graduating as one of the deadliest soldiers, he executes in his father's name, displaying his worth. When he faces judgement from his mother's people-the clans-Leviathan must confront his demons and forge his own path, if he ever hopes to reclaim his soul.

But in the struggle to protect the people they love and rebuild their identities, Roma's and Leviathan's destinies interlock as the tyrant hunts an ancient treasure that will doom humankind should it come into his possession-a living treasure to which Roma and Leviathan are the ultimate key.

Set in a colonised Indo-Persian world and inspired by Pre-Islamic Arabian mythology, The Descent of the Drowned is a tale about power, identity, and redemption, and what it takes to hold on to one's humanity in the face of devastation. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Can't Stop Won't Stop (Young Adult Edition): A Hip-Hop History by Jeff Chang, Dave Cook Wednesday Books

From award-winning author Jeff Chang, Can't Stop Won't Stop is the story of hip-hop, a generation-defining movement and the music that transformed American politics and culture forever.

Hip hop is one of the most dominant and influential cultures in America, giving new voice to the younger generation. It defines a generation's worldview. Exploring hip hop's beginnings up to the present day, Jeff Chang and Dave "Davey D" Cook provide a provocative look into the new world that the hip hop generation has created.

Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip hop's forebears, founders, mavericks, and present day icons, this book chronicles the epic events, ideas and the music that marked the hip hop generation's rise. -- Cover image and summary via publisher

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore Feiwel &amp Friends

When two teens discover that they were both sexually assaulted at the same party, they develop a cautious friendship through her family's possibly-magical pasteleria, his secret forest of otherworldly trees, and the swallows returning to their hometown, in Anna-Marie McLemore's The Mirror Season...

Graciela Cristales' whole world changes after she and a boy she barely knows are assaulted at the same party. She loses her gift for making enchanted pan dulce. Neighborhood trees vanish overnight, while mirrored glass appears, bringing reckless magic with it. And Ciela is haunted by what happened to her, and what happened to the boy whose name she never learned.

But when the boy, Lock, shows up at Ciela's school, he has no memory of that night, and no clue that a single piece of mirrored glass is taking his life apart. Ciela decides to help him, which means hiding the truth about that night. Because Ciela knows who assaulted her, and him. And she knows that her survival, and his, depend on no one finding out what really happened. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

A ​Queen of Gilded Horns (A River of Royal Blood #2) by Amanda Joy G.P. Putnam's Sons Books For Young Readers

On the run and desperate for answers, Eva and her friends have fled Ternain. With them they have brought captive Isa who is chained and magicked to prevent her from making trouble. Their lives bonded after the Entwining ceremony, each sister's life is now in the other's hand. Having fled to the northern part of the Arym Plain, Eva hopes she might find her father's family and learn more of his plan to unite the country. However, the welcome she receives at her father's ancestral home puts her at death's door, and leaves more questions than answers. Without Baccha to guide and train her magick, Eva must find a way not only to survive her own metamorphosis, but to unite all the people of Myre, including her sister, before it is too late. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[sagewraith]

That she always searched for a lie to bare, an illusion to shatter, and she would never find happiness because lies and illusions were how humans survived.

The Descent of the Drowned, Ana Lal Din